


Salvation

by AmberBenetton



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Angst, Demon Oikawa Tooru, First Meetings, Hiking, Human/Monster Romance, Insecurity, Iwaizumi Hajime is a salary man, Japanese Culture, Japanese Folklore, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Oikawa Tooru is a myth, POV Iwaizumi Hajime, Tengu, Yôkai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29560347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberBenetton/pseuds/AmberBenetton
Summary: Iwaizumi Hajime (25) is a too occupied salaryman in Tokyo who enjoys his free time outside Japan's capital.Therefore, he decides to have his holidays near Mt. Fuji to go hiking and recharging his battery.What he did not expect is getting involved into missing persons cases.Or meeting a mythical creature of the Japanese folklore, which seems to be the reason behind everything...or...not?
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Kudos: 5





	Salvation

Finally being able to take a compensatory time-off, Iwaizumi Hajime decides to get out of _Tokyo_ , get out of the stressful capital Japan's, which has absorbed the very last of his energy and social battery recently. Just having some peaceful days in the mountains; maybe even visiting _Mt. Fuji_?

He didn't think long, didn't plan as much as he is used to do at his company, being the invoicing department's deputy.  
Right on the first morning, Iwaizumi packed some spare clothes, his washbag and a towel in his rarely used travel bag and head off to the main station. Using the crowded _Yamanote_ line and passing by some of the stops with their very own jingles, he stared at his cellphone, buying a train ticket online for his journey and also used the time to book a stay in a nearby ryokan, which seems to be comfortable but not too expensive.  
At least, Iwaizumi Hajime has been a man with a small amount of luck: not enough, that he would win the first prize in a lottery, but big enough to get at least more than the XXL-package of paper tissues as a consolation prize.

Changing trains once more, he gets to Tokyo Station and goes straight downstairs and upstairs again to the right platform, where the regional train will depart.  
Getting on board, Iwaizumi finds his reserved window seat stores his bag on the empty one next to him.  
Flopping himself in the seat pad, he exhales in relief.  
He has not felt so tired in the morning, as it has been his usual time to get up, but right now the exhaustion of the last weeks crawls up and lays its weight on his body.   
Looking outside the window, he will have left the main station soon, passing by the urban areas and continuing to the suburban ones. Surrounded by tea fields, green landscape, little hills leaving everything behind which bothered him.  
The rural life is exactly what the young salaryman needs.

Iwaizumi's body adjusted to the knowledge of being far away from stress, and sending out a grumbling form his stomach as a sign. Unzipping his bag, he takes out a lunchbox, which is filled with some sandwiches and vegetables. A thermos flask is unbaged, too, containing some good smelling, hot Oolong tea.  
He actually starts feeling hungry now and although, it is not a comfortable feeling, having little stings in your tummy, because you have not eaten for too long, Iwaizumi welcomes this pain.

His tasks at work had been doubled because of a big project, and he was spending far too much time in the office, sometimes even forgetting to have a proper meal. Returning home late and getting up early.  
When he met with his mother last Sunday, she complained that he should take better care of himself, that he had lost weight.

Although this was not a nice memory at all, his mother treating him like a child, Iwaizumi's right corner of his mouth twitched up. She was right. So, this trip was the first step to get back on the right track again. And looking forward for endless hours of hiking in the silent forest, having traditional breakfasts and dinners, sleeping in a traditional _tatami_ and a _futon_... It already settles himself more at ease.

  
One would say he acts too old, too mature for his 25 years, but actually, Iwaizumi likes it just like that:  
He has never been one of those _nomitai_ lovers - something that always exceed the limit - has never been a fan of drunken party nights in Shibuya and rather spends time with his family or old friends from school than hitting on strangers and waking up in an unknown bed the morning after. So let him be the _ojiisan_ , he seems to be!  
(And what's wrong about loving _agedashi tofu_ anyway?)

*

When Iwaizumi arrives at his destination, he checks the screenshot of the google map, he had taken with his phone before, as he could not be sure of internet connection here on the countryside.  
Lifting his head, turning from left to right, he goes for the only small exit of the village's train station which is actually only a platform with a sitting corner and the train schedule, listed behind glass.  
From here, he can walk 50 minutes or take the bus, saving half an hour. Unfortunately, it would mean, that he has to wait for another thirty minutes, still.  
Looking at his travel bag in his hand, he shrugs. He does not have much luggage and after the long time of sitting, it will not hurt to have a longer walk. Moreover, Iwaizumi can get himself used to the next four days of hiking.

In no time he passes a small kiosk and decides to stop in order to buy a bottle of water for the way and one or two light snacks. Talking with the guy behind the corner, exchanging a few words of small-talk ("Why the hell are you here?" "...Days off?" "Why don't you travel to Tokyo or any other big city?" "I _am_ from Tokyo." "Still strange."), he continues his way.  
Taking the narrow beaten path, next to the main road, he is led outside the village. A small sign tells him, that the next will come in three kilometres. The trail change over to a wider one, just beneath it a the hillside, which shows the growing rice field, on a lower level. His vigilant green eyes watch the blue sky above him. Listening to birds, which fly high as the weather is sunny and the insects would fly higher than on rainy days, too. Listening to the rustling sound of the field's plants next to him, and after all these smoothing impressions, Iwaizumi finally arrives in the nearby village, faster than calculated and stops at the destined _ryokan_.  
Shoving the wooden door open, he enters and finds himself at a corner next to him. There is a silvery bell he has to press, as the sign on the desk tells him.

_Please ring twice.  
_

Waiting patiently now, he hears little steps coming closer on a wooden floor. Then, an elderly woman appeared on the corridor, just coming downstairs and looks at him with a polite smile.  
  
"Welcome to our ryoukan," she speaks in a calming voice which can only be provided by a warm-hearted, kind granny. The one she looks like in her dark grey kimono with a light outlined floral pattern on it.  
Iwaizumi nods and bows in respect.

"Thank you for having me," he straightens up again, "My name is Iwaizumi Hajime. I...book last-minute for five nights."

She walks over to the counter and opens a large book. Iwaizumi sees the rows and listed names, written neatly.  
With her old, long index finger, she followed them and stopped on one line.

"Ah, yes...here you are. That really was a quick booking. I'm glad that my husband is taking care of the internet bookings. I'm not so good with the technical stuff," she chuckles a bit and then looks up to him,

"Iwaizumi-san, please me let me show you your room and the ryoukan then. So you can make yourself comfortable.

Doing as he is told, he follows her with his travel bag through the long corridor and is shown the common and dining room, the bathrooms and other localities of the guest house.  
Right now he is the only one here, as he has chosen to come here midweek. Iwaizumi does not care.  
When they have finished, he starts to unpack his bag in the room - which means the washbag and his camera, and sits down on one of the two cushions on the tatami mats. Searching for the best hiking routes it gets noon and so he walks up to the private dining room, as he has been invited to by the landlady.  
Welcomed by her husband, who also makes the perfect impression of a grandpa, he sits down at the traditional low wooden table and gets a small bowl of soup served first, then as a second course rice, fried vegetables and delicious thin slices of meat. Typical Japanese and Iwaizumi feels already so much at home that he already has his from overwork stiffened shoulder muscles relaxes and he does not even think of work and the load of documents on his unoccupied desk at all.  
They have some interesting and funny talk, and it turns out, that they can give him good advice about this area: where to go, what to see, and...what to avoid.

"What do you mean?" Iwaizumi asks in-between all of his eating, shoving some more rice into his mouth.

"As I said, you'd better be careful, if it comes to the mountains. It'll be fine, if you return here before it gets dark, but be aware that the demons crawl out at dusk," the lady explains calmly, but Iwaizumi's eyebrows only lifts more and make his forehead wrinkle. Her husband then stands up, and goes slowly over to the wooden commode on the right side of the room. He opens the top drawer, looks through some items, and takes one out. Closing the drawer, he shoves himself on his seat again and hands Iwaizumi a pamphlet - publication date from ten years ago.

"We had several incidents, because people didn't listen," the elderly man says in a serious voice, "My wife and I have been living here for more than 30 years. But we wouldn't, if we hadn't taken care."

The young salaryman in front of them gulped, putting the chopsticks carefully aside and takes the printed magazine in his hand. Reading the headline:

_20 people are missing - is this caused by the mountain demon?_

Iwaizumi flips through the pages. Each one has one of the missing cases revealed with a photo of the person and the date, when the police have started investigations. Young women, young men, old people. There was not a system behind it. The documentation started from 1976 and finishes with the publication in 2009.

"There have been more cases but they were prohibited by the police to publish them. On the one side it's for the better, as this pamphlet has spread panic. But on the other side, travellers like you don't know anything and they are reckless," the landlord explains. Iwaizumi has to agree with a nod. He hasn't heard anything like that himself, and somehow it really would be better to know. Not for panic but to be aware that something has been going on for more than three decades, and maybe you wouldn't choose to go all by yourself into the woods then, right? 

"The mountains are really beautiful and usually really kind to people," the elderly woman says with a soft smile, "But they can also be very consuming. We can't stop you from doing what you want, but please, be careful."

Iwaizumi nods again and looks up with the issue still in his hand,

"Could...you lend me this issue? I want to read through it properly, in the evening. I'll give it back to you, tomorrow?"

"Sure, sure," she agrees, and their talking topics get lighter again, as they ask him now about his life in Tokyo, his job, whether he is in a relationship or not, and how come, that a young man like him enjoys the _lonely road_ more than being with a bunch of people. The people, they are used to have here as guests.

"Well...Tokyo is loud and...I think, it's because I lived in a much quieter place," Iwaizumi smiles wryly, "I've grown up in the suburb area of Sendai. At first, it was hard to get used to all the noise...from time to time I need to break out," he finishes his meal. With a _gochisousama_ , Iwaizumi then excuses himself as he wants to get ready for his first little tour.

Prepared with his camera and the emptier bag, only containing the bottle of water and the snacks, he leaves for the beginner route of the smaller mountain nearby.  
Iwaizumi does not want to worry about anything, but the words of the couple still stick in his mind, when his feet touch the firm ground and walks up the steady increase, leaving the paved way and continuing on the pure soil of the forest.

It was not a joke, the pamphlet's content has proved this, but what do they mean by _demons_?  
Of course, he knows a few things about Japanese folklore, but that is what it is: _folklore_.  
No way, that this could be real?  
Does it mean, that there was some kind of _serial murderer_ in that area? Murdering people for almost 45 years now, not being caught by the police?  
That thought sends cold shivers down his spine and Iwaizumi shakes his head, shakes it off. He wants to relax, not imagine some unreasonable _what-ifs._

_*_

And that is it: nothing happens on his first trip, but he is rewarded with a beautiful lake, when he gets to the end point of his tour. Inhaling deeply the fresh air of the woods, listening to the singing of the birds and the soft rustling of the leaves in the wind, he enjoys his view. Enjoys the peaceful atmosphere, taking a few pictures with his camera, and decides to have a break on a long tree trunk, laying on greenish moss. Unpacking the bag, he opens the water bottle and takes a few larger sips.

_Bullshit, maybe this area was something like the suicide forest of_ Aokigahara.

Which is close by. So, maybe people decided to go here instead of the nowadays well-known and therefore more observed place to die? The missing cases could be explained like that. Also the decades. Yeah, maybe.  
But should not the bodies to be found then? At least, in Aokigahara, the dead are always discovered...

Iwaizumi closes his eyes, concentrating on nature again as he got distracted by the unfortunate events again.  
Better. Just listen to the silence. Breathe.  
Among the harmony, an irritating and dangerous loud rustling reaches his ears. Twitching eyebrows, Iwaizumi shoots a look in front of him and over his shoulder, but no one is to be seen.  
Just like two minutes before, he is alone by the lakeside. The grass around him, swaying in a soft breeze, increasing resonance as the wind gets a bit stronger. His heartbeat seems to adjust to the green tiny plants, increases its beat, too. Iwaizumi notices, how his muscles tense and that he starts sweating lightly. Stress mode. Ready to escape.  
Why is he suddenly...scared? No need to be!.......There!!

Now he jumps, turns around in a haste.

Right behind him!!

...Nothing.

Swallowing with uneasiness in his gut, Iwaizumi's eyes narrowf and a deep furrow makes its way between his eyebrows.  
Before he could give it a second thought, the salaryman grabs his stuff, shoves everything into the bag and puts on his cap, too. Maybe...he should better go. It is about time anyway!

He dares a quick look at his wristwatch, which tells him it is already 5.24 PM. Less than an hour and the last rays of sunlight will disappear.  
Something stabs his stomach. It is just a feeling, but provides the words of the elderly couple right to his core. And when Iwaizumi puts his head in his neck, watching the golden clouds above him, his gut feeling almost screams at him to hurry.

Not looking back at the lake or anything else, he makes his way down toward the valley. Speeding up, running, nearly falling over because of tree roots and surface irregularities he does not take care of. His breath becomes a heavy panting and Iwaizumi never felt so exhausted since high school, arriving the starting point, finally.

With hurting lungs, he supports himself with his hands on his knees while bending over. His eyes wander to the depth of the forest behind him. To the small hiking path which has looked so inviting first, but now seems to be swallowed by the large trees and branches, only showing darkness.  
Another look at the watch. The twilight colours the sky in a beautiful purple now. It took him around forty minutes to get back, but fortunately the street lamps on the road would accompany his way safely to the guest house.

Entering the ryoukan in sweat, Iwaizumi heads right to the bathroom, throwing off the clothes and sits down on the little stool in the washing area. He emptied the small bucket of cool water over his head, clearing it literally.  
His mind has gone a little crazy, because of the stories.

_That's all! No ghosts, no demons!_

He calms down several minutes after. Having himself a relaxing warm bath then, Iwaizumi is in a better state as he puts on the _ryokan's yukata_ and jacket and returns to his room. Sitting down at the low table, he takes out his camera and flips through the gallery's pictures of today. A tiny smile escapes his lips, looking at all these beautiful photos.

The prefecture's nature is really something! But suddenly, Iwaizumi's green eyes stare at one of the photos in disbelief.  
His eyebrows lift funnily, and he presses the button to zoom in.

No way...what is that?

With slight parted lips, he looks at the strange thing right behind a tree, between all the others:

A dark red _kimono_ , worn by a tall man, who hides his face with a mask. With an _oni_ mask?  
Brunette curls frame it, reflecting the golden sunlight rays, coming through the crowns of leaves above his head.

Confused, Iwaizumi tries to zoom in more, but he has already reached the limit of the possible range.

Who is this?

He did not notice him earlier! Biting his thumb, he looks once more through the gallery, but it is the only picture with that stranger in it...

*

  
When it is time for dinner, another couple checked-in, and Iwaizumi greets them politely as he enters the room. However, before he takes his seat on the long table next to them, he walks up to the landlady who is refilling the hot water tank on the little hostess trolley.

"Excuse me, _Hanada-san_ ," he begins, the camera in his hand, "Can I...show you something from today's hiking?"

She turns around to him with a questioning expression, because he sounds so dead serious, but nods, "Sure?"

Iwaizumi thanks her and turns the camera around, so she can look at the chosen picture. The one with the stranger in the kimono. The one he cannot remember to have seen around there.

The landlady puts down the tank and takes the glasses from her head, putting them on.

"Do you see...something strange in here?"

"What do you mean, Iwaizumi-san?"

He points to the special spot,

"I'm sure that there was nobody with me, and suddenly I've caught that one here?"

Now, the lady's eyebrows lift in surprise, too,  
"Good gracious..." she mumbles under her breath, "Iwaizumi-san, you're a lucky man!"

He only gives her an irritated look, and noticing how her expression changes from surprise to shock and then to worry, makes him feel the uncomfortable pit in his stomach again.

"I'm just glad you make it here in time."

"W-What do you mean?"

The lady glances over to the couple, that talks cheerfully to each other and does not care for their own little conversation, but still Hanada drags Iwaizumi by the sleeve of his yukata some metres with her, behind the corner, where the small corridor would lead to the kitchen.

"You met the _daranibou,_ but...why on earth is he coming from Mt. Fuji?" she goes on, almost muttering to herself.

" _Daranibou_?"

"The _tengu_ from Mount Fuji. A goblin who can possess you, but if you're in favour with it, it may even protect you. You can't tell for sure, so it's better to be careful and avoid him."  
With that explanation, she pats him on the shoulder,  
"Iwaizumi-san, sit down and have your dinner for now. You must be very tired, right? I'll look for an _omamori_ , so it will protect you on your hiking, while you're here," she promises, but he does not reply to that.

He really has to read through the borrowed pamphlet later and doing some research on his own!  
Iwaizumi does not know much about _yokai_ , especially that _daranibou_ , but what he knows is, that it is not common for a _tengu_ to show itself so easily to humans. He has to agree with the landlady.  
And imagining, that this figure maybe has stood right behind him...his hackles raise immediately.

Being shoved back gently by her, Iwaizumi is obliged to sit down and the couple next to him look up and engage him in their conversation, immediately. Meeting another traveller is always interesting. He gets to know them as Kawada Miyako and Yuuta. Living in Osaka but are on a road trip now as a postponed honeymoon. Iwaizumi congratulates them to their wedding, and having brought his tray with tonight's dinner by Hanada, he gets distracted from today's event at least for an hour. 

However, the _tengu_ will haunt him in his dreams, when he finally falls asleep - so tired and a little bit tipsy because of the good sake, they had been offered - on the futon..


End file.
